Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1887-01-08
SOME QUEER wAaERs.
How Large sums .ot Money Have Been
Loaf and Wen

issue says. The exceptionally Qrou
terms Of the wager recently won by Har-
mon ct the StanwiL hotel at Detroit, by
holding his head submerged in a bath
tub for 125 seconds without taking air,
recalls a number Of other queer and re-
markabls feats which have at various
times and places been achieved In the
contest for Wagers, the records Of which
have been picked mp here aud there from
the papers and periodicals Of the time:
Pedestrian contests have been, per-
haps, the most numerous and varied.
Captain Barclay, q noted pedestrian In
the early part OF the present century,
began his exploits at the early age OF
B by walking six miles, fair heel and
toe, ia a little less than an hour. His
Rext feat was a walk In midsummer from
Ury, in Kincardineshire, to Borough
bridge, IN Yorkshire, something over
800 miles, In i've days. Re afterWard,
on a wager Of 5000 guineas, walked
ninety miles In nineteen hours and two
minutes This Captain Barclay was the
pedestrian VINO first introduced the feat
that has been so many times attempted
that Of walking 1000 miles IN 1000
consecutive hours. To do twenty four
miles q day for six weeks, although a
formidable undertaking for any but a
trained pedestrian. and quite out Of the
range Of possibility for very large ma
'Ority, the case Is quite a different one
when every hour IN six weeks, night and
day, is 70 have its distinctimile Of walking
while In the former he could have a long
and sound sleep every night. The feat
has been attempted several times previous
10 1910, but Barclay was the first to &C
complish it. Not less than 600 was
wagered on the result Of the contest.
The walking occupied fOrty-ORe days
and a few hours time, from June l TO
July u, and took place on Newmarket
course. Though be suffered somewhat
daring the performance his appetite re-
manned unaffected, and he finished toll
erably fresh, In the presence Of a vast
Essemblage. This feat has often been
accomplished since. A pedestrian named
Baker once walked ], 900 miles in twenty
days-ftty miles a day-and to show
his stamina, he accomplished seventy
i've miles on the last day.
A chap named Curtis, in Berkshire
county, Mass, for a wager Of a horse,
ran five miles In forty-one minutes, and
wound up the race with a jump OF eleven
feet six inches.
An Englishman named Head won l 900
guineas by walking 600 miles in ten
days, but the exertion so used him up that
he never walked much afterWard, either
on Wagers or otherwise. Mcdonald,
tailor walked barefoOted from Westmin-
ster bridge to Chatham AID back In four
teen hours and twenty minutes In 1920
3 ishhaWker in Chelsea undertook to run
from Hyde Park corner seven miles along
the Brent6ord road in one hour, carrying
q basket with i've pounds Of fish on his
head. and is said to have done it in forty
i've minutes. If he did, 1t was remark
able exploit. A similar feat was that of
a gar6ler's apprentice, who walked from
Wandsworth to the Borough Market
(zix miles) in ffty-eight minutes, carry
ing 500 heads Of asparagus. Still third
was that OF an orange porter who made
twenty journeys from BOtolph lane to
Spitalsheld Market, each time carrying
100 pounds of oranges; the distance
travelled was fortY-three miles, and he
accomplished them in eight hours and
thirty-two inmates; the wager was for
10 guineas.
A gentleman at one OF the London
clubs made q wager Of G10O that he would
stand Tor an entire day at a point on
London bridge with a tray Of gold sOVer-
eigns and offer them at q penny each
without finding a purchaser. He won
the wager, as passers-by supposed the
coins were brass and declined to invest.
The Master OF the ReVels OF George II. \
were regarded a. the ughest person In
the kingdom, as none had been found
Wko could successfully contend against
him for this distinction One Of the no
bIsmen OF the court laid a wager that he
could produce q person SURPRISING him
in this respect. At the time appointed
he caused VIGOROUSLY hOmely hsherWo-
man that be had heardof to -be brought, |
who stood by the side Of the champion.
With the approval Of the present wearer
Of the belt, the palm was about to be
awarded 10 her when q bystRnder, pro-
baby interested also ia tina result OF the
decision, suggested that tbs champion
put on the old laly'a bonnet In order to
make the conditions Of the contest equal.
He did so, when the added ugliness was
so emphatic and understandable that the
victory was awarded to him.
Another wager, which is somewhat
familiar owing 20 the extraordinary char
acter o. the feat, was that OF Sir John
Ihrocimorton, which was for 1000
euineas, that he would We Y a suit Of
clothes in the evening made from wool
taken nom sheep the same day At 8
O'Clock on 8 summer morning in 1911
two SouthdoWn sheep were shorn, the
wool was washed roved, spuns earded and
woven; the cloth was secured, fulled, |
dyed and dressed; the measure taken,
the auit cut and completely made and
worn ct dinner given by Sir John at 8
o'clock in the evening.
The wagons made on the speed Of
horses are 50 common and the terms and
conditions 60 uniformly OF a common
place character that tney hardly COM |
Inand attention on the score Of novelty. |
Donksys have sometimes been put on /
their speed, e qualitY that they have not |
been popularity supposed to possess |
About twenty years ago race leo call !
ad1 came OF on the Newmarket course /
20 decide q bet Of e1OO made BY the /
owner Of a donkey that he would go 100 /
miles IN tWanty-four hours. The meek /
looking little chap not only let his mas /
Ter ont IL good form, bat had fully three
hours 90 spare
IN FhIadelphia some years ago 3 /
gentlaman made wager of 500 that 1
he could Jump into water Gig ht feet deep /
aud INDIES himself completely. Any |
one VINO has ever made the attempt 70 4
remove HE clothing aftar being thorough /
iy dranehed 70 the skin, even standing /
on terra iTznl, with plenty Of room to i